Special Guests has released "Studio Six: The Cockroach Sessions"

Special Guests has released "Studio Six: The Cockroach Sessions", a previously unreleased album, and now released digitally for the first time. 

The Boston-based band had released a self-titled CD on Canned Peaches Records in 2011, and later several singles. The CD had been 2 years in the making and features superb vocal performances by Zoe Alpert, Craig Carter, and Suzanne McNeil. 

The project began when songwriter Al Pechulis met Zoe and Rick Alpert, while performing at the Frank Withey Memorial Scholarship Foundation concerts near Boston. Zoe particularly liked Al’s original songs, and after Al gave her a CD of original material, the trio met on a winter’s night in 2009 and knew this would be something special. 

Pechulis had successes in the past, recording records for London Records and Jeff Lynne’s (ELO, Traveling Wilburys) private label, Jet Records, which was distributed by worldwide by United Artists. 

After disappointing record sales, Al gave up and got into computer software. In 1986, Al began playing again with bassist David Karahalis and drummer Doug Parks. Al had always sung his own songs, but in 1995, developed an incurable vocal disorder called Spasmodic Dysphonia, and could no longer keep pitch.

Hearing Zoe sing sparked Al’s determination to produce another record. After recording 5 songs, Zoe became pregnant and took a leave of absence from the band. From that point on, Al brought in several fine singers and musicians to complete the record, and thus the name, Special Guests.